. >> reporter: we went to terry christianson who taught political science at san jose state for 40 years and has literally written textbooks on local government. he said california might actually get away with the land grab. >> historically, it has always been recognized that the states are superior in authority to local government. so this i think would be the state's argument on the retro activity issue. we're the boss. we can do this. >> reporter: unless the property under review fits one of three criteria. the land was transferred before january 1, 2011. was contractually committed to a third party before the law was signed. or programs more pertinently, qualifies as having a clear government purpose. what exactly is a clear government purpose? according to hd palmer of the department of finance, it is defined by state law in broad terms as, quote, assets such as roads, school buildings, parks, police, fire stations, libraries, and local agency administrative buildings. omitted in that list. no mention of convention centers or theme parks. >> you cannot justify this. some thing are r